Tinubu Grants Presidential Pardon to Herbert Macaulay, Mamman Vatsa, and 175 Others

President Bola Tinubu has approved a presidential pardon for 175 Nigerians, including Nigeria’s foremost nationalist, Herbert Macaulay, and Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory executed in 1986.

The decision was reached on Thursday during the Council of State meeting held at the State House, Abuja. It followed a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who presented the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy to the council.

While the full list of beneficiaries is yet to be released, the exercise saw 82 inmates granted full pardons, 65 others having their sentences reduced, and seven death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

Among those granted posthumous clemency were members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, who were executed in the 1990s following the environmental activism of late writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Herbert Macaulay, widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, was twice imprisoned by the British colonial government — first in 1913 over alleged fund misappropriation and later in 1928 for sedition following publications by his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. Historians have long described his convictions as politically motivated and unjust.

Vatsa, a celebrated poet and military officer, was executed after being convicted for an alleged coup plot during the regime of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida. His trial and execution have since been described by rights groups as one of Nigeria’s darkest moments.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said the move reflects President Tinubu’s “commitment to justice, fairness, and correctional reform.”

> “This decision shows the President’s determination to correct historical injustices and give hope to families who have long sought closure,” Uba Sani said.

The council, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified key appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf from Niger State as Chairman of the National Population Commission, and Tonge Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State. Both nominations were unanimously endorsed.